Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Holdings Increased by Hohimer Wealth Management LLC

Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 545.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,604 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 41,923 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of MRK. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 38,750 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,478,000 after purchasing an additional 1,523 shares in the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 282.0% during the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 30,158 shares of the company's stock worth $2,707,000 after buying an additional 22,263 shares in the last quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the first quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 42,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,842,000 after buying an additional 3,685 shares during the period. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.6% during the first quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 8,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $787,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 39.5% during the first quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 40,478 shares of the company's stock worth $3,633,000 after acquiring an additional 11,454 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 target price (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE MRK traded up $0.36 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $83.72. The company had a trading volume of 10,367,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,206,694. The firm's 50 day moving average is $79.08 and its 200 day moving average is $86.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $129.03. The company has a market capitalization of $210.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 43.23% and a net margin of 27.27%. The company had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were given a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total transaction of $352,723.12. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.